Latching device



July 4, 1933. w. A, BEAUCHAMP' 1,916,650

LATCH 1N6 DEVICE Filed Feb. l3,'l9I5O 2 Sheets-$heet 1 -f/vvz/vr WYLFEED H EEHUCHHMP 1 July 4, 1933. w. A. BEAUCHAMP LATCHING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 15 1930 M4 FEED A. BEQUCHHMP HTTX Patented July 4, 1933 UNI-TEDSTATES PATENT oFFi-cE WILFRED A. BEAUCI-IAMP, or cHI'cA'eo, ILLINOIS, essrenon TO GAMEL COMPANY, 01

. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIONOF ILLINOIS. y r

LATCHING nn'vrcn Application filed FebruaryJS, 1930. Serial No. 428,157.

This invention relates to a latching device intended for use with doors for railway house cars and, primarily, with doors of a swinging type, although capable of general application. a i

Latching devices have heretofore been employed as auxiliary latching means, especiaL ly at the lower margins of swinging end doors for railway house cars. Such latching devices were so constructed, however, that the latching bolt or pinthereof had to be withdrawn and held in such withdrawn position with one hand while the main latching mechanism was released and the door opened with the other hand. Such opening operation is clumsy and time-consuming. Trainmen frequently blocked up said latching bolts to avoid the aforementioned awkward op eration and often forgot to remove such blocks. As a result, thexlatching devices were rendered completely ineffectual for their intended purpose.

An object of the invention is thelprovision of a latching device: having a latching bolt or pin which, when retracted, may be maintained in retracted position so that the trainman may give his entire attention to the opening of the door.

A further object is the provision of a latching device comprising a bolt capable of retraction and which may be maintained in retracted position by the latching device.

An object, also, is .the provision of a latching device comprising a latching bolt capable of being maintained in retracted position, but which will move to latching position during the opening movement of the door, whereby the bolt is in position for automatic engagement with a bolt keeper.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the specification proceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and in which.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a car end door construction to which the latching device of the present invention is applied.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2- 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the 'line3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an elevation on an enlarged scale of the latching dev1ce, and

Figure 5 1s a view corresponding to Figure 4, but showing the latching bolt in retracted position, supported upon the keeper.

Referring to the d'rawings,the numeral 10 designates, in its entirety, a railway house car. The end construction'of said car, denoted generally by the numeral 11, comprises a pair of overlapping, swinging doors 12-12 which are adapted to be latched in closed position by the main latching bar 13. In such position of the doors the latch bar.13 is engageable at itsends with keepers 14 and 15, fixed to the upper and lower parts of the car,respectively. The latch bar is mounted for swinging movement upon one of the doors,as. indicated at 16. Stops 17 and 18 are utilized upon the door, on which the latching bar 13 is mounted to limit the swinging movement ofsaid bar .in released and keeper engageable positions, respectively. In the position shown in Figure 1, the latch bar 13 is maintained in latching engagement with its keepers by means of the pivotal abut ment member 19. v.The structure thus far described is generally employed on end doors receivearidretain a latching bolt or pin 22 and a bolt keeper 23. The housing member is illustrated attached to the door and the keeper secured to a fixed part of the car. lVhile the latching device is shown applied to the lower margins of the doors, it is apparent that a similar arrangement may, if

desired be employed at-the upper margins of the doors as well.

The housing member 21 may be considered as comprising two members, each of which is provided with a securing portion 24,

These wall portions and a wall portion'25, are position.ed,-as clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, in opposed spaced relationship -and are connected together by means of a wall member 26 with which said wall portions constitute an opening in said h0using for the reception of the latch bolt 22. Each wall portion diverges from said opening and, as a consequence of such divergence, the opening converges from the upper and lower parts of the housing toward the center thereof. Each wall portion, additionally, is grooved as shown at 27 and said grooves, together with that part of the door adjacent thereto, constitute guides for the oppositely projecting lugs 2828 provided on said bolt. These grooves are shown (see Figure 5) as extending to points below the upper margin and above the lower margin of the housing in order to'form shoulders 29 and 30, respectively, which function as limiting means to prevent complete withdrawal or loss of the bolt. It is evident, furthermore, that the upper edge of the wall member 26 also serves as a stop by the engagement with the head of the bolt.

The latch bolt 22 is fashioned to present a head portion 31 by which the bolt may be retracted and the leg or shank portion 32 which is relatively deep so as to give great strength to the bolt. The lower edge of the bolt is inclined upwardly as shown at 33 for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

The keeper 23 is attached to the car and is provided with an opening 34: for the reception of the bolt when the latter is in its home or latching position. The keeper is also provided with a flange 35 which extends fori wardly and downwardly from the opening In view of the foregoing detailed description of the latching device, it is believed that the operation thereof for its intended purpose will be apparent. When it is desired to open the doors, the head of each bolt may be grasped and retracted from the opening 34 in the keeper. The bolt may then be tilted, as clearly shown in Figure 5, and

supported in its inclined position upon the keeper 23. After this has been accomplished, the operator may then use both hands in swinging the main latch bar to open position in opening the doors During the opening movement of the doors, each bolt will be disengaged from its keeper and will fall into home or latching position. In view of this fact, when the doors are again closed the inclined edge of the bolt will engage the inclined flange of the keeper and ride upwardly thereon and drop automatically into latching position in the opening 3 1 of the keeper.

It is apparent that numerous changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention set forth. All such changes are deemed to be included in this invention, which is not to be limited except as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Iclaim:

1. A latching device comprising, a bolt housing, said housing having walls defining an opening, the opposed walls of said open ing converging from the upper and lower portions of said housing toward the center thereof, a latching bolt adapted to be received in said opening and a keeper, said bolt being adapted, in latching position, to extend into an opening in said keeper, and adapted in unlatching position to assume an inclination in said housing and be supported by said keeper.

2. A latching devicecomprising a bolt housing, a vertically reciprocating bolt po sitioned in said housing, opposed walls in said housing adjacent said bolt bein, inclined, and a keeper for said bolt, sai bolt projecting into said keeper in latching position and adapted to be retracted from said keeper and inclined in said housing, said bolt when inclined being supported by said keeper.

3. The combination with a railway freight car having a swinging door, of a latching device for said door, said device comprising a housing member, a vertically reciprocating bolt carried by said housing member and a keeper member, one of said members being secured to said door and the other of said members being secured to said car, said bolt being received in said keeper in latching position and being adapted to be withdrawn from said keeper and inclined in said housing member, said bolt being supported by said keeper in inclined position and being disengaged therefrom by the opening movement of said door to assume a substantially vertical position.

4. The combination with a railway'freight car having a swinging door, of a latching device for said door, said device comprising a housing member, a vertically reciprocating bolt carried by said housing member. and a keeper member, one of said members being secured to said door and the other of said members. being'secured to said car, said-bolt being received in said keeper in latching position and being adapted to be withdrawn from said keeper and inclined in said housing member, said bolt being supported by said keeper in inclined position and beingdisengaged therefrom by the opening movement of said door to assume a substantially vertical position, said keeper member having a tapering flange adapted to engage said bolt in the closing movement of said door whereby said bolt is automatically received in'said keeper to latch said door. 7

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 6th day of February, 1930. i

WILFRED A. BEAUCHAMP. 

